Truck collision on I-78 kills Chester County man

A Chester County truck driver is dead after his rig hit the back of another tractor-trailer Tuesday on westbound Interstate 78 in Hunterdon County, N.J.

William Hammond, 48, of Downingtown was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident near Exit 7 for Route 173 in Bethlehem Township, according to New Jersey State Police Detective Brian Polite.

Hammond was hauling FedEx tandem trailers and drove into the back of a tractor-trailer driven by Franklin R. Suero at 4:08 a.m., Polite said. Suero, 31, no address given, was not injured. The crash caused a 3-mile backup.

The rigs were cleared from the interstate, and the FedEx truck, which had accordion-like damage, was moved to the nearby truck weigh station while troopers examined it.